


Along the Hangang

by TFTwrites



Category: GOT7
Genre: Angst, Drabble, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Other, Rating May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-25
Updated: 2017-09-03
Packaged: 2018-12-06 16:54:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11604861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TFTwrites/pseuds/TFTwrites
Summary: Jaebum stumbles upon a girl sitting along the Han. He finds his muse. Jinyoung stumbles upon the same girl. He finds his soulmate.





	1. SUMMER - Jaebum

_DAY 1_

Music floated in the air. Soft and gentle, like a welcome breeze on this hot summer’s night. Jaebum let his feet carrying him off towards the source of the sound, not really caring where he ended up.

He was tired. So tired. But he did not want to go back to the dorm to rest. Sometimes, the quiet was just as loud as the noise on the stage.

His head was bowed, covered completely by his bucket hat and all he could see was the little pathway ahead of him. But little by little, the music became louder and with the music the sound of running water mixed with it. He knew he was close.

A lamppost illuminated a small bench and a young woman sat on it alone. In her hands was a guitar and at her feet, sat her guitar case open. There were some bills and some loose change. It looked like she had a good night.

‘A busker,’ he thought, noticing the obvious. The music had ended but the sound of the water had remained. He inched forward, trying not to make a sound but then thought against it. Why was he even hiding?

The woman looked up when she saw him standing next to the lamppost. She stared up at him, half of his face submerged in shadow. She tilted her head to the side before saying, “A song?”

He nodded his head. “Please.” He dropped several bills in her case.

And so, she played.

And he listened. 

* * *

_DAY 2_

“Are you often here?” he asked after he had his fill of music.

Her music was not as sad as it had been the other night but he wasn’t as melancholy as he was then either. He noticed that she did not pick her songs randomly. She chose each song depending on the listener. If the listener felt happy, she often chose a light summer tune. Usually, a popular one which most of the people who stopped by seemed to like.

But for him, that first night, she had chosen a sad ballad. He did not know why and he hadn’t asked. He only supposed that it must have been written all over his face.

The young woman nodded in silent reply.

“Often enough, I suppose,” she whispered. Such a sharp contrast with her singing voice. Her singing voice, though not powerful or obnoxious, was clear and it floated over every other sound in the area. But when she spoke, he had to strain his ears to catch each word.

“Will I see you again tomorrow?”

She nodded again.

He sighed. Maybe out of relief. He wasn’t all too sure. But if he was honest with himself, he was glad that he would see her again.

* * *

_DAY 3_

He was late. Or she hadn’t come like she promised. Was he late? He checked his watch. He was a little but not by much. Had something happened to her?

He was jittery. He sank down on the bench but then would stand up a moment later. Where was she?

Finally, after some time (or it felt like it anyway), he started to walk away. Slowly at first, looking back at the empty bench beside the lone lamppost, only the sound of the river reaching his ears tonight.

It frustrated him that he hadn’t seen her, hadn’t heard her music. But it frustrated him even more that she made him feeling this way in the first place.

He headed back to the dorm in a foul mood.

* * *

_DAY 4_

“Where have you been?” he blurted out, half accusatory and half relieved to see her. It had been a long day and he had wondered all along whether he should go again tonight.

He had in the end. He couldn’t help himself. He knew he’d regretting it if he hadn’t at least checked and he was glad he had made the right choice.

“Home,” she said in her quiet way. She picked up her guitar and started plucking at the strings. He watched her in silence. He was suddenly worried. What was wrong with her? She seemed sad.

But he didn’t ask, and she did not say.

Instead, she began to play a slow tune. Something he hadn’t heard before. He closed his eyes and let the melody sink in. If he strained hard enough, he thought he heard her say, “I’m sorry” through the music.

* * *

_DAY 5_

“You’re happy,” he heard her say. It startled him out of his reverie as she often didn’t speak to him unless to ask him what song he’d like to listen to next.

But it was true. He did feel much happier than he had been mere days before. He was less frustrated with the music in his own head and he was pretty sure she had something to do with it. He smiled, a small smile but a smile nonetheless.

“I suppose I am,” he replied.

She didn’t say anything after that. There didn’t seem to be a need so she let her music say what she couldn’t say with just words.

* * *

_DAY 6_

Something felt wrong. She was distracted. Upset even. But she wouldn’t tell him and he hadn’t the courage yet to ask. Who was he anyway? To her, he was just another paying customer. Possibly her most loyal one but a customer just like many others.

She kept playing though despite whatever she was feeling. The music was sharp and angry but beautiful in what he could only describe as “her way”.

There weren’t many people around today. It had rained hard during the afternoon and slowed down to a drizzle during the early evening. Most people were staying indoors, in restaurants and shops. Not by the river and not listening to a lone girl on a bench.

Maybe that’s why she was feeling the way she did. It was only natural. But everyone had their slow days, had their bad days.

He placed another bill into her guitar case and looked up at her. “Another song, please,” he asked gently.

She sighed and nodded. “Alright, one more.”           

And she played. More than once. She played for him well into the night.

When Jaebum returned to the dorm, he was tired but not tired enough to sleep. He took out his music notebook and a stub of a pencil that he always carried with him and began to write.

Hours later, he stretched and looked out the window. It was almost morning. He’ll be needing more than a cup of coffee if he wanted to be even a resemblance of his idol persona in the next few hours. He rested his head against the cool surface of his desk.

But for now, he would sleep. Dream of her and then later, maybe, hopefully, write some more.

* * *

  _DAY 7 (and onwards)_

She wasn’t there. She was gone. He waited for her for hours that night but she hadn’t come at all. He had waited the next day and the next and the next. But by the following week, another musician had taken her place by the bench next to the old lamppost with the Han running smoothly beside it.

He didn’t like that musician. He only played covers to pop songs. Jaebum had even caught him singing an acoustic version of “Never Ever”. It wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t her.

 


	2. Chapter 2: FALL – Jinyoung

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaebum stumbles upon a girl sitting along the Han. He finds his muse. Jinyoung stumbles upon the same girl. He finds his soulmate.

_DAY 1_

 

It was his birthday.

And he was alone.

Alone on his birthday.

 

‘How pathetic,’ he told himself as he flipped on the lights. The dorm was empty when he had returned. Not even Mark was home. Everyone was so busy these days – including him – that it rarely felt like he was living with seven other people.

Not that he was complaining. Work was work. And birthdays…well birthdays, were just an excuse to go out and eat. Weren’t they?

This was what Jinyoung tried to rationalize to himself but still, he felt oddly despondent. The dorm seemed too big and too small all at the same time and the longer he stayed by himself, the more he felt like he was going crazy.

So, after what seemed like hours (though it may have been only a couple of minutes), Jinyoung shrugged on his jacket and walked out the front door.

 

He wasn’t sure how he had managed to get to the river. All he knew was that he had been walking and the next moment, he looked up and there he was.

There were people everywhere. There was laughter and talk and life going about all around him. He exhaled. He hadn’t realized he had been holding in his breath but as the air passed his lips, the tension inside him went with it.

He kept walking. The river was flowing silently beside him, keeping pace. He walked until he finally felt the ache in his feet and heard the thrumming of blood in his ears.

He heard someone shout then felt something hit him against his midsection. He toppled over. Then it started to rain.

 

“I’m sorry,” Jinyoung whispered. He wasn’t sure why he was apologizing. She had been the one to bump into him and smack him with her guitar case. He probably had a fist-sized bruise on the left side of his stomach. But her music sheets were wet and that seemed infinitely worse.

The young woman shrugged as if accepting her fate. She was busy salvaging what she could though Jinyoung secretly thought that it was a lost cause.

After a while, she gave up. She looked up at the sky and frowned. It was still raining – hard.

Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled in the distance. The young woman shivered and Jinyoung felt her inch closer to him. Jinyoung pitied her (and himself) as he took off his jacket and placed it on her shoulders.

‘What a way to spend a birthday,’ he thought and then he laughed.

* * *

  _DAY 2_

Jinyoung was antsy. He drummed his fingers on the table as he looked out the café window. The cup of coffee he had ordered was growing cold, untouched. This was a horrible idea. What had possessed him to come anyway?

Thankfully, it didn’t seem like anyone had recognized him. He was not in the mood to be a public figure at the moment. Though any moment, things could change. He checked his watch. Where was she?

He bit his lip. He was worried. That was his reason. He was worried for her. They had been soaked to the bone last night. Was she alright? Had she caught a cold?

He sniffled. He was definitely coming down with something. His manager was going to give him quite a scolding again.

Chimes tinkled. He looked up.

“I’m sorry, I’m late,” the young woman said breathlessly. She dropped a paper bag on the table in front of him. “I…I had it cleaned…”

Jinyoung smiled at her, his demeanor relaxing. She was alright after all.

* * *

  _DAY 3_

“You haven’t asked me my name yet,” he said. They were by the river again. Not by the tree they had been stuck under the first night they met. They seem to silently agree that they would stay clear of that place.

“Should I?” she countered.

He laughed. How was this girl able to make him laugh so much? And so effortlessly? She was like summer, warm and refreshing. It was a long time since he felt this from another person.

“Jinyoung.”

“Joon.”

They shook hands. The palms of her hands were soft, her fingertips rough and calloused.

He smiled at her and she returned it with one of her own. ‘Can I keep her?’ he wondered. ‘Would she want to stay?’

* * *

  _DAY 4_

“You must be an actor,” she commented out of the blue. It was a windy day but they were outside along the river eating ice cream.

He stared down at her. “Why do you say that?” he asked coolly. He didn’t want to give anything away but inside he felt his heart drop to his stomach. Panic began to set in.

She shrugged. “I dunno. You’re too pretty to be a normal person.” She licked at her ice cream, trying catch the trail that was sliding down the side of her cone. “Maybe you’re an idol.”

He laughed and she looked up at him as if he had gone mad.

“I might be,” he teased. “I am handsome enough, I suppose.”

She rolled her eyes. “You are. Only a celebrity could pretend to be so humble.”

They stayed silent for a while, busy licking away at their ice cream before it melted away.

“Do you care?” he asked when he was done.

“Hm? Care about what?” she said.

He did not look at her. He was too nervous. “If I was a celebrity?”

He heard her chuckle. “It doesn’t matter.”

* * *

  _DAY 5_

He was in a mood. Schedules did not permit him to go out today. Not even for an hour. And by the time they had all gone home, he was too tired to venture out.

It was raining again. He wondered if she had got caught out there. He hoped not. But he did not trust her to be sensical.

Tomorrow, he’ll buy her an umbrella. Just in case. Then, he wouldn’t be so damn worried.

* * *

  _DAY 6_

It was raining again all right. It was raining and Jinyoung was alone. He was using the umbrella he was supposed to give to her, thinking she might be out here without one. But instead, he was the idiot waiting. By himself. In the rain.

And for what? A girl? A girl who he had no obligation to see? No obligation to meet?

“Jinyoung-ssi?” He turned around and saw her. She came closer. Their umbrellas touched. “What are you doing out here?”

He smiled down at her. “Nothing much. Just being an idiot.”

“Did you succeed?” she asked.

“What?” he asked, wide-eyed.

“Being an idiot – did you succeed?” she repeated, much slower, enunciating each word.

Jinyoung laughed. It was too easy to laugh when she was around. “No. I think I failed.”

She smiled and took his hand.

* * *

  _DAY 7_

“What are you saying?” he demanded. He winced when he saw her shrink back from him. He did not want to be so harsh but he was confused. What did she mean she was going away? Where?

“I…I have to go home,” she said. She could not meet his eyes.

“I don’t understand. You live here, don’t you? You told me you lived with your grandmother.” Had she been lying to him all this time? She was just a musician, wasn’t she? If she wasn’t, then who was she?

“I do. I visit her every few months and stay with her for a week or two. Sometimes more…” Her voice was shaking as she said this. Her eyes, pleading.

Jinyoung was quiet for a long time. He repeated her words over and over again in his mind. But to him, it did not make any sense. It just did not make sense! How can she just come and then go like that?

“I don’t believe you.” He stood up abruptly and walked away.

By the time he reached the dorm, he was already regretful. He wanted to turn back. He wanted to take back everything he had said. He wished had never said them at all. He wished he had said, “Don’t leave me” instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jinyoung’s chapter ended up a little longer than JB’s and I was initially worried about that. I thought I was going off beat, so to speak. Like, instead of doing a duple, I was doing a quadruple. Okay, sorry, bad music metaphor.  
> But I think, and I hope you think too, that it naturally had to be this way. And that it also helped me convey the difference between JB’s relationship with the girl and Jinyoung’s. They came to her looking for two different things. So, one may seem more complex than the other though it doesn’t necessarily mean that one relationship is less significant than the other.
> 
> Unbetaed, by the way. I only did a little bit of editing on my own so I may have missed some things. Apologies.
> 
> Written to: Adore U – Seventeen (Vocal Team Version); Rainy and What I Want to Say – Acourve; MY DARLING, RE-BYE, and Be With You – AKDONG MUSICIAN; Album Spoilers of Verse 2 - JJ Project


	3. WINTER – Jaebum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaebum stumbles upon a girl sitting along the Han. He finds his muse. Jinyoung stumbles upon the same girl. He finds his soulmate.

_WEEK 1_

It was December now. It surprised Jaebum for some reason. It was like he had had his head down this entire time and he had thought that when he’d finally looked up again, it would still be summer.

_Summer…_

That word still left a bitter taste in his mouth. Maybe it was good that it was now December after all.

He stepped out of the company building and felt the cold right away. He didn’t pull his coat in closer to him though and for a few seconds relished the sting of the icy air on his skin. Then he remembered what he was doing out here in the first place and sighed.

Why was he so hopeless with games?

~ ~

The convenience store was all the way at the river park. Jaebum was pretty sure the other members intentionally made him go all the way here just to annoy him but secretly, he did not mind going. It had been months since he’d come here and he had been hoping for an excuse all this time.

She wasn’t there though. That park bench was empty. Empty for months most probably. He knew that. ‘Not that I’m looking,’ he said to himself.

He browsed the shelves, looking for the items his members wanted. He was taking his sweet time though. The others would just have to wait. He felt a little rebellious for once. He smiled to himself.

~ ~

The smell of spicy ramyeon hit him and he instinctively looked up to find out where the smell was coming from. He peeked over the top of the shelf to see a girl at the back of the store eating by herself. A guitar was propped on the wall beside her.

Time stood still for Jaebum. He did not think it was possible, only a cliché in books or movies but seeing that girl sitting there, he felt the world fade away from him. All those feelings he had buried deep inside for the last few months, only letting it out through his music, came crashing into him like waves.

The sad thing was, he wasn’t even sure it was _her_. But it felt like her. So, it had to be her. It must be.

While he was thinking and feeling all of these things, the young woman had finished her meal and gotten up, disposing of the bowl in the trash bin on her way out.

Everything suddenly reverted back to normal for Jaebum, fast-forwarding in order to keep up with reality. It took only a second to make a decision. He ran out of the store, all the items he had gathered forgotten.

“Wait!” he called out to her. He could see his cold breath as he panted heavily, running after the young woman as fast as he could. A few strides and he would reach her. He stretched out his hand.

She screamed. Out of instinct probably. So was the right hook that she managed to land squarely on his jaw. Jaebum stumbled backwards, almost falling onto the icy pavement.

“I’m sorry!” he thought he heard her say but he wasn’t too sure, a loud ringing in his ears. He stood there in a daze, a hand on the sore spot on his face.

~ ~

“You shouldn’t have come up to me like that, you know,” she said. They were sitting on a bench and she was massaging a bag of ice on his face. He flinched but said nothing. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to be annoyed or secretly pleased. He felt a little bit of both to be honest.

“How long have you been back?” he said after a moment, when he could move his jaw without wincing.

“A while,” she answered vaguely.

“Will you stay?” he asked. He wasn’t sure if he meant for right now or forever. Maybe he meant both. She cocked her head to the side as if trying to comprehend his meaning. Maybe she was wondering the same things he did. But he wasn’t about to say. He couldn’t willingly admit that to her just yet.

They sat in relative silence for a long while. Jaebum was highly aware of her as she sat next to him. It felt different somehow now. Maybe because it was still day time. He had only ever seen her in the evenings after practice during that summer. Now she seemed more vivid, more real to him than she had been back then.

“Maybe,” she answered, looking up at him. “I might stay this time.” He smiled down at her. That was good enough for him. For now.

 ~ ~

The sun was going down when he realized that he’d been gone too long. Way too long.  An hour? Two hours? He wasn’t sure. They were going to kill him.  

He checked his phone. There were several missed calls from Jinyoung and several angry texts from their manager. Even Mark had tried calling him. Why hadn’t he noticed any of them? Maybe he did but had chosen to ignore it all.

He stood up immediately which made her jump up in surprise as well. At some point, she had dozed off, her head naturally slipping down to his shoulder. “What happened?” she asked, blinking her eyes several times.

“I have to go. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have stayed so long.” Already, he sorely missed being beside her. And it wasn’t just because of the cold.

“That’s alright. But…” she said as he was about to go. He stopped, looking at her expectantly. “But, you know, I don’t even know your name.” She looked away, embarrassed.

He laughed then. That was right. He had known her for a week in the summer but in that entire week, neither of them had even thought to ask the other their name. “JB. You?”

“Joon.”

“Then, I’ll see you soon, Joon-ssi?” he said, testing her name on his tongue. It sounded like her. _Joon…_

She nodded. “You know where to find me.”

* * *

_WEEK 2_

The week had gone in a flash. They had a comeback to prepare for and it was taking up much of their time. Usually, Jaebum was not this impatient but something or rather, _someone_ was on his mind.

Why hadn’t he gotten her number? If he only had the presence of mind to ask back then, he wouldn’t be here stewing. He was so pathetic when he was around her. How he managed to function at all was a miracle in itself.

“Hyung?” Jaebum looked up to see a concerned-looking Jinyoung in front of him.

“Yeah?” he answered coolly, pretending he hadn’t been daydreaming although he was pretty sure he wasn’t at all successful.

Jinyoung paused for a moment and silently assessed his longtime friend. He seemed to be on the verge of saying something but thought the better of it. “Time to go. Everyone’s heading out.”

Jaebum let out a mental sigh of relief.

He nodded, standing up. “Let’s go.”

‘Not yet,’ he thought.

As much as he wanted to, meeting her would just have to wait.

* * *

  _WEEK 3_

“Can’t I have your number?” he asked her. They were settled in the very back of a coffee shop. It was relatively deserted.

“Why?” she asked in return. She didn’t hide her surprise.

He shrugged. “Just thought it might be more convenient.”

She nodded slowly as if agreeing but she chewed on her bottom lip. He turned toward her, forcing her to look at him head on. “If you’re not comfortable, that’s fine too.”

“It’s not that…” she began.

He waited for her patiently. She looked down at her cup of coffee, watching the cream swirl in front of her eyes.

“I just thought it would be okay to keep things as they are.”

Jaebum sighed, his heart deflated. He couldn’t push her. He wouldn’t even though he knew if he nudged her just a little bit more, she would cave. What was giving a number nowadays? Most people did it without a second thought.

 But he wouldn’t push her. With her, he wanted to be careful. He didn’t want her to disappear again.

He let his lips curved into a smile, albeit a disappointed one but a smile nonetheless. Hopefully, she didn’t feel his frustration too much.

* * *

  _WEEK 4_

It was almost Christmas – just a few more days. He had seen Joon only one other time since their rather awkward coffee date if you could even call it that. He hadn’t asked her for her number again and basically steered cleared of the subject.

Instead, they had taken a stroll along the river. It was not so cold that afternoon and it felt okay to venture out. It had been a good day.

But that had been days ago and he longed to talk to her again. He was restless and he was pretty sure the others were starting to notice again.

They were on a plane to Japan today. They would be ending their Japanese tour and then they would be having a break for a few weeks before beginning work for their new album.

The cycle begins anew.

* * *

  _WEEK 5_

“Hyung. Hyung. _Hyung_.”

Jinyoung was staring down at him. Jaebum snapped out of his reverie. He was often like that these days. Always caught deep in his thoughts.

“Sorry,” he said, giving his friend a wry smile. “What were you saying?”

Jinyoung shook his head and rolled his eyes. “I said, do you want anything? I’m ordering food.”

“No,” Jaebum replied, getting up. Jinyoung watched him in silent confusion as he shrugged on his coat and made his way for the door. “I think I’ll head out for a while.”

“Where are you going?” Jinyoung called after him.

“The river!” was the reply that drifted back through the doorway. Then the door slammed shut.

~ ~

“I have a feeling you’ll be leaving again soon,” Jaebum said to her. It wasn’t a question. He wasn’t trying to fish the answer out of her. He woke up today having this sinking feeling that his time with her was almost up.

Joon didn’t say anything in return and he took it as a silent confirmation.

“I think we should do something memorable before you go,” he continued to say. He placed a hand on her shoulder which made her look up at him. “Shouldn’t we?”

She nodded and smiled. “Yes, I think so too.”

~ ~

“What is that?” Joon asked him.

Jaebum looked at her in confusion and then back at his scooter. “It’s a scooter.” It wasn’t a motorized scooter like a mini bike either. It was child’s play thing.

“We’re going to ride that?” He could tell she was trying hard not to laugh.

“Yes.” he answered coolly.

Joon nodded her head. She positioned herself behind him and held onto his waist. “Alright. Let’s go.”

~ ~

“Happy New Year,” he told her, placing a small object in her hand, carefully folding her fingers over the precious item. Fireworks were lit up the sky. She frowned and looked at where their hands met.

“I don’t have anything for you. I’m sorry,” she said.

He smiled and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. What we did together these past few days was enough.”

“Thank you. I won’t forget,” she said. She squeezed her hand tightly around his gift. There were tears in her eyes but she turned her face away so he couldn’t see them.

But he had. He had seen the tears running down her face and heard the hiccupping sighs she produced. He wanted to lean it and kiss them away.

But he didn’t.

And that was the last time he saw her. He didn’t know back then but it was finally, “goodbye” and not “see you again”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter, will be the last but I feel like I want to write more of this in the future. Not necessarily contained in the same story. Possibly, a new short story or drabble. I don’t want to let go of these characters yet so I want to just play around with them in another setting/situation. The Tomorrow, Today M/V has given me some ideas already!
> 
> Playlist: Verse 2 album – JJ Project; The Manual – Eddy Kim; The Youth album – BTS; Freely, Out of Mind and Congratulations – DAY6; Your Name (movie); Tomorrow I Will Date With Yesterday’s You (movie); One Week Friends (movie); and Your Lie in April (movie).

**Author's Note:**

> I haven’t written in a very long while, so please forgive how rough this is. Hopefully, it’ll get better as I write more chapters.
> 
> This is, as of now, planned as a four-parter. And if you’ve guessed by now, that’s because there are four seasons. Each chapter will be a new season with Jaebum and Jinyoung getting two each. Fall will be Jinyoung’s.
> 
> A part from that though, I haven’t outlined much. There’ll be a lot of discovery writing going on here so let’s just see how it goes together. Hopefully, it will turn out alright.


End file.
